The pollution disaster of the Love Canal happened after a canal in LaSalle, a Niagara Falls town, was drained and acted as a municipal and industrial chemical dump, mainly being used by Hooker Chemical Cooperation between 1948-1953. Over the five years more than 21,000 tons of hazardous chemicals were dumped into the canal which contaminated the soil and groundwater. In 1953 the canal was covered over with clay and soil and declared safe, and soon after it was sold to the school board who then built schools near the covered landfill, about 400 kids attended these schools unaware of this chemical landfill. Hundreds of homes were also built on and around the covered landfill and much like the schools, people were unaware of what laid beneath
